CINCINNATI — From cutting and welding to poking metal rods into a forge, work gets heated for Jordan Graff. But that's a typical day on the job when you're a blacksmith.
A Cincinnati native, he grew up working on cars and motorcycles with his dad.
"I was welding and grinding when I was 10 and 12 years old," he said.
It wasn't until he was studying mechanical engineering at the University of Cincinnati that his interest in blacksmithing truly sparked.
"It was another technique of metalworking that I really didn't know, but it was something that grabbed me," he said. "So I sold my car stuff, sold everything that I owned as far as 'normal' garage things and started collecting blacksmithing tools, which were much more rare."
Graff is the owner of Iron Belle Metal Design in Columbia Tusculum. He opened the shop four and half years ago with a focus on custom metal sculptures and furniture.
In addition to his traditional anvils and forge, Graff uses old, hand-operated machines dating back to the early 1900s.
"I make anything that you can't buy anywhere else," he said. "So, if it needs to be a custom-made piece, a picture frame to hang on a wall, a handrail or gate or furniture, it covers the whole board. It's actually easier to say what I don't do than it is to say what I do."
It's a unique craft — one fitting for a unique project.
For this year's Fountain Square Christmas Tree, the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) wanted a new tree topper to replace the Red Macy's star.
Graff said 3CDC discovered his business online and emailed him at the end of September asking him if he'd be interested in creating the new sculpture.
Despite the tight deadline, he fired up the machines and got to work.
"Just with Downtown and 5th Street being this wind tunnel ... it was a little thing in the back of my brain like ... I'm gonna build it so tough that there's no question that it's going to be able to withstand," Graff said.
Ever seen a blacksmith at work?
This Cincy native creates custom metal pieces for a living, but one of his latest projects might just “top” the rest.
(Hint: if you’ve been down to Fountain Square this month, you’ve likely already seen it.)
Story at 7 @WCPO pic.twitter.com/bcsD07117m
— Valerie Lyons (@VLyonsTV) November 23, 2022
Graff decided on a three-dimensional, 14-point Moravian-style star made entirely of steel and polycarbonate plastic.
His design was inspired by a compass, including both cardinal and intermediate directions.
"It has a big pole right up through the center and a couple of different things we had to do to make sure the lighting bounced around it," he said.
The star measures 5 feet tall and 4 1/2 inches wide. The city set a 100-pound weight limit for the sculpture. Graff got it down to just around 40 pounds.
"It seemed all the way up to the final install, it was just another job that had a really tight deadline," he said. "Then we did this big reveal and it was like, 'wow, this is going to be pretty significant.'"
From concept to construction, it took Graff over three weeks and around 200 hours to complete the one-of-a-kind creation.
He said he's humbled by the experience, knowing his hard work will pay off for years to come as the star now takes on the role as the centerpiece to one of Cincinnati's largest Christmas traditions.
"Now it obviously has set in to where [I know] it is going to be a thing that is going to be viewed by everyone in the city," he said. "I'm just so happy to not only be able to show what I can do, but it's alway significant to be able to do a piece that is going to be showcased in your hometown."
The tree and the new star have been dark since they were installed in early November.
They'll be lit for the first time in Fountain Square on Friday at 7 p.m. during the "Light the Square" event.
